31327 Cab Ride

Onboard 31327 doing her very first passenger hauled run to Birkhill station at their Diesel Gala in 2002.

31/1 No. D5862, TOPS No. 31327

The loco was out-shopped from Brush Works in Loughborough on, or very close to, 25 October 1962 and was the last of a total of 263 locomotives.

in the class constructed by Brush. During its career, the locomotive was re-engined (as was the majority of the class) after engine block failures with the original Mirrlees engines, they were subsequently fitted with English Electric engines producing 1470 bhp.
D5862 spent the majority of its working life on the East Coast Main Line and its branch lines, and was also used on suburban services out of Kings Cross. When the locomotive finished passenger working duties, its steam-heating boiler was stripped out, and the locomotive then took up BR Parcels Train service. D5862 was based at Stratford for most of its mainline career.

During its time with BR, D5862 has carried a number of liveries, including BR Green (its current livery in preservation), BR Blue and Railfreight Grey.

The locomotive was withdrawn from service sometime in 1996, and later offered for sale by EWSR after privatisation of the UK rail industry. The locomotive was purchased by its current owner, George Littlejohn, from EWS in autumn 2001.
31327 then had an eventful journey to the Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway, as leaving Upperby yard the Heanor Heavy Haulage trailer suffered a brake failure - blocking the road in the middle of rush hour! The locomotive successfully moved the following day, arriving at Bo'ness in late October 2001.

Much work was done on the locomotive over the winter of 2001, including repair to smashed windows after vandalism at Upperby
yard. The English Electric engine was overhauled starting from May 2002, along with replacing batteries, bodywork and a repaint into BR Railfreight Grey. 31327 was ready just in time to haul its first service train from Bo'ness to Birkhill and return -
albeit with the paint still wet! 31327 remained at Bo'ness through early 2003, and moved to the Strathspey Railway on 16 July 2003.